Thanks for the video, it gives me hope. I hung a 1940's Soviet Zik axe head on a handle I carved from ash for my nephew. I used a double cross wedge, with 5 separate wedges due to the large eye of the axe. It turned out beautiful, by far my favorite handle I've made. He keeps it up at his family's off grid cabin in Northern PA. I was up there last month and saw that the head was loose. I brought it home and used my moisture meter to compare the handle to another piece of the same ash I used for it. Moisture content went from 16% to 9%. And this was kiln dried ash from scraps used for Louisville Slugger baseball bats. The axe had been kept about 30" from the woodstove, driving out the moisture. I was thinking that I might be able to expand it by soaking it in boiled linseed oil. The idea of cutting off the handle and making another was killing me! LOL!
Ooh the woodstove is a killer. I've never even thought about that. But yea it's pretty natural to keep an axe near a woodstove. Thanks for that heads up! And I'd say yea the oil will make a huge difference. It may even be a blessing, cause now the wood is so dry that it will greedily suck up even more oil. Good work on that handle. Having made a few handles myself it's quite an effort.
I am a strong advocate for wood cross wedges to get meaningful compression in the long axis, and to really fill the eye. Normally one or two pairs but once had to use 3 pairs on an axe with a 4" long eye with a strong taper down into it. It takes longer to do, but it gives me really good results, and pays off in the long term.
Sure the only challenge would be sealing it back up so the oil doesn't oxidize/polymerize/solidify. That's the purpose of these plastic bags here. Eventually even in the bags some of the oil will start to turn into a kind of jelly but it takes a year or two, and during that time you can get quite a few soaks with just a little bit of oil.
Cheers for the vid and more cost efficient way of doing it.. at first I thought I'd need a bucket, but the bags is a great idea, as I'm in in Australia where everything is ridiculously expensive , pretty sure a litre of linseed oil is like $25/30 at the hardware store so to fill a bucket half way probably cost more than my axe lol
How well has this worked for you...I just bought a $150 council tool woodcraft pack axe and I definitely wanna get the best penetration I can but all I had was boiled linseed oil when I wanted to do a mix of turpentine and raw linseed oil but I've had the head soaking for a few hours and have a camping trip in a few days so I'm wondering if a couple days on the head will be sufficient enough because I know once it cures in the wood the poor will close due to polymerization and I want the handle as strong as I can get it especially in the eye of the axe head
Good feedback! I should have been more clear about that. I mention it briefly at ua-cam.com/video/M0Xx7G1E0cM/v-deo.html that I was soaking the bigger axe for a few days. So yea 2-3 days minimum. The longer the better. I'd say a week is the maximum in the sense that it won't penetrate much deeper after a week. Diminishing returns kind of thing.
@@AytwitEngineering Sorry to be harsh on you. It's just that when you tell a person to "soak the axe head in linseed oil" that persons first and probably only question will be "for how long?"
Thanks for watching. Boiled in this video just because it's easier for me to get. Both should work. Here's a good discussion about that: www.timbergadgets.com/axe-handle-guide-which-oil-to-use/
Prevention is always better than cure - Take extra time to shape both handle and wedge and ensure handle is perfectly dry before hanging. Then immediately the wedge is trimmed, I stand it in oil. If you can keep it warm, this will speed the process, but I normally leave it a couple of weeks to soak in. Recently, on a couple of large axes I have put the head in boiling water and hung it hot. You will be surprised how much further the head will go on the handle, and I think subsequent shrinkage helps get a really tight fit. Only time will tell how well this goes, but it costs nothing to experiment a little.
Yes definitely as a preventative measure to keep it from getting loose in the first place. Especially if you think you are going to use it for some amount of time and it might get wet and dirty. Supposedly old timers, real men, etc. do this once per year. Thanks for watching. :)
Yup it works! I've done it several times with different axes, whenever they start to rattle in the slightest. Really I should do it before that point though. Thanks for watching!
I like to do it every hour on the hour I have alarms set throughout the night so I remember to wake up and put a coating on it...I don't care much for penetrating the wood and polymerization although I hear it makes the handle stronger I just want to look like grizzled woodsman 🤣👍
All axe heads will eventually come loose, no matter how tight the initial hafting, which is why you repeat this linseed application process regularly. I'm always learning though, so what do you recommend instead?
@@AytwitEngineering oh no I put b.l.o on my axes I just don't soak the heads in it. And I maybe would in a pinch but for a permanent solution I'd just make sure it has a good fit from the start and keep a eye and be mindful of it and if it does get loose as a last resort a metal barrel wedge or go ahead and re haft. I'm picky when it comes to a hang lol. Don't mean to come off ugly. Where I live it gets 90%+ humidity in summer and dry in winter so that fluctuations messes with the fit. I learned to haft in winter when its dry. God bless.
@@thcolonyest Oh I see, thanks for the reply. I was living in CT so I know the struggle regarding humidity changes. :) I didn't mean to imply that one should rely primarily on soaking to make and keep a tight fit. Rather that it's yet another ratchet in the whole tightening process. If you have things REALLY dialed in you can get away with a simple wooden wedge and a surface coating of oil and that's it. In practice though (with all kinds of weak craftsmanship in handles and eye holes) a wooden wedge, metal barrel and oil soak should be used in combination. At least that's my recommendation to people just getting started with axes.
@@AytwitEngineeringright. I love when a wood wedge is all it needs and the haft fills up the eye perfectly, its a beautiful thing lol. I like the confidence of knowing you have a rock solid axe. I'm no expert by any means. I'm trying to hone in my sharpening skills now to achieve razor sharp axes.
Thanks for the video, it gives me hope. I hung a 1940's Soviet Zik axe head on a handle I carved from ash for my nephew. I used a double cross wedge, with 5 separate wedges due to the large eye of the axe. It turned out beautiful, by far my favorite handle I've made. He keeps it up at his family's off grid cabin in Northern PA. I was up there last month and saw that the head was loose. I brought it home and used my moisture meter to compare the handle to another piece of the same ash I used for it. Moisture content went from 16% to 9%. And this was kiln dried ash from scraps used for Louisville Slugger baseball bats. The axe had been kept about 30" from the woodstove, driving out the moisture. I was thinking that I might be able to expand it by soaking it in boiled linseed oil. The idea of cutting off the handle and making another was killing me! LOL!
Ooh the woodstove is a killer. I've never even thought about that. But yea it's pretty natural to keep an axe near a woodstove. Thanks for that heads up! And I'd say yea the oil will make a huge difference. It may even be a blessing, cause now the wood is so dry that it will greedily suck up even more oil. Good work on that handle. Having made a few handles myself it's quite an effort.
I am a strong advocate for wood cross wedges to get meaningful compression in the long axis, and to really fill the eye. Normally one or two pairs but once had to use 3 pairs on an axe with a 4" long eye with a strong taper down into it. It takes longer to do, but it gives me really good results, and pays off in the long term.
Wondering if I could use a can opener to top the top of the linseed oil off and place my hatchet in there
Sure the only challenge would be sealing it back up so the oil doesn't oxidize/polymerize/solidify. That's the purpose of these plastic bags here. Eventually even in the bags some of the oil will start to turn into a kind of jelly but it takes a year or two, and during that time you can get quite a few soaks with just a little bit of oil.
Definitely cleared up some questions i had. Thanks!!
Cheers for the vid and more cost efficient way of doing it.. at first I thought I'd need a bucket, but the bags is a great idea, as I'm in in Australia where everything is ridiculously expensive , pretty sure a litre of linseed oil is like $25/30 at the hardware store so to fill a bucket half way probably cost more than my axe lol
Cheers for watching. I lived in Cairns for half a year back in 2003. It was expensive even back then!
How well has this worked for you...I just bought a $150 council tool woodcraft pack axe and I definitely wanna get the best penetration I can but all I had was boiled linseed oil when I wanted to do a mix of turpentine and raw linseed oil but I've had the head soaking for a few hours and have a camping trip in a few days so I'm wondering if a couple days on the head will be sufficient enough because I know once it cures in the wood the poor will close due to polymerization and I want the handle as strong as I can get it especially in the eye of the axe head
Hey I somehow missed this message 8 months ago, sorry about that. Hope the camping trip went well!
@AytwitEngineering yeah it did thanks. The handle is looking good and holding up as well.
I've watched this several times and I'm mentally inept so I can't find out how long I should soak it. How long should I soak it?
Good feedback! I should have been more clear about that. I mention it briefly at ua-cam.com/video/M0Xx7G1E0cM/v-deo.html that I was soaking the bigger axe for a few days. So yea 2-3 days minimum. The longer the better. I'd say a week is the maximum in the sense that it won't penetrate much deeper after a week. Diminishing returns kind of thing.
@@AytwitEngineering Thank you. I'll probably aim for 4 days! Have a good one
Literally the only piece of information needed and he left it out.
@@WestcountyWill Thanks for feedback, I added it to the description. Best I can do, too lazy to edit the video again. :) Thanks for watching.
@@AytwitEngineering Sorry to be harsh on you. It's just that when you tell a person to "soak the axe head in linseed oil" that persons first and probably only question will be "for how long?"
Great info! Did you use raw or boiled linseed oil?
Thanks for watching. Boiled in this video just because it's easier for me to get. Both should work. Here's a good discussion about that: www.timbergadgets.com/axe-handle-guide-which-oil-to-use/
I just go with raw linseed oil as the there’s lead on boiled linseed oil and trust me you don’t want itchy hands.
Prevention is always better than cure - Take extra time to shape both handle and wedge and ensure handle is perfectly dry before hanging. Then immediately the wedge is trimmed, I stand it in oil. If you can keep it warm, this will speed the process, but I normally leave it a couple of weeks to soak in. Recently, on a couple of large axes I have put the head in boiling water and hung it hot. You will be surprised how much further the head will go on the handle, and I think subsequent shrinkage helps get a really tight fit. Only time will tell how well this goes, but it costs nothing to experiment a little.
Good stuff, thanks! :)
Thanks for watching. :)
Good stuff, Thanks
Thanks for watching!
Can i do this even if my axe head is fine?
Yes definitely as a preventative measure to keep it from getting loose in the first place. Especially if you think you are going to use it for some amount of time and it might get wet and dirty. Supposedly old timers, real men, etc. do this once per year. Thanks for watching. :)
Good video thanks
So, did it work? Is your axe still wobbly?
Yup it works! I've done it several times with different axes, whenever they start to rattle in the slightest. Really I should do it before that point though. Thanks for watching!
Better to use a 50/50 mix of mineral spirits and boiled linseed oil.
Nature's polymer the original plastic .
Everyday for a week, every week for a month, every month for a year, every year for the rest of your life.
That's a hell of a commitment! :)
I like to do it every hour on the hour I have alarms set throughout the night so I remember to wake up and put a coating on it...I don't care much for penetrating the wood and polymerization although I hear it makes the handle stronger I just want to look like grizzled woodsman 🤣👍
Don't do this to your head if you want a permanent fix it will eventually come loose again
All axe heads will eventually come loose, no matter how tight the initial hafting, which is why you repeat this linseed application process regularly. I'm always learning though, so what do you recommend instead?
@@AytwitEngineering oh no I put b.l.o on my axes I just don't soak the heads in it. And I maybe would in a pinch but for a permanent solution I'd just make sure it has a good fit from the start and keep a eye and be mindful of it and if it does get loose as a last resort a metal barrel wedge or go ahead and re haft. I'm picky when it comes to a hang lol. Don't mean to come off ugly. Where I live it gets 90%+ humidity in summer and dry in winter so that fluctuations messes with the fit. I learned to haft in winter when its dry. God bless.
@@thcolonyest Oh I see, thanks for the reply. I was living in CT so I know the struggle regarding humidity changes. :) I didn't mean to imply that one should rely primarily on soaking to make and keep a tight fit. Rather that it's yet another ratchet in the whole tightening process. If you have things REALLY dialed in you can get away with a simple wooden wedge and a surface coating of oil and that's it. In practice though (with all kinds of weak craftsmanship in handles and eye holes) a wooden wedge, metal barrel and oil soak should be used in combination. At least that's my recommendation to people just getting started with axes.
@@AytwitEngineeringright. I love when a wood wedge is all it needs and the haft fills up the eye perfectly, its a beautiful thing lol. I like the confidence of knowing you have a rock solid axe. I'm no expert by any means. I'm trying to hone in my sharpening skills now to achieve razor sharp axes.
@@thcolonyest Totally! The only way to consistently achieve that nowadays is to carve your own handle. The way it should be!